Silent Victim(66)

Having sensed my hesitance, Theresa stepped away, heat rising to her cheeks. ‘Sorry,’ she said, wiping away the last of her tears. ‘It’s not like me to fall apart like this. You go home to Emma. It’ll be morning soon. She’ll be wondering where you are.’

‘I don’t know if I can do this,’ I said. ‘Act like nothing’s happened.’

‘You have to. What choice do we have? At least now you can sell the house without worrying about what they’ll find.’

But it was not that easy, and we both knew it. Time after time I had prayed Emma had got it wrong and this would all be proven to be a mistake. But now, with the evidence of a body, there was no disputing the facts. I was living with a stalker who had murdered her victim. Her mental health was already declining. What if I said the wrong word, threatened to take Jamie away? Was this the fate that awaited me?

As I drove towards home, I could not imagine what Theresa was going through, with those skeletal remains in the boot of her car. Just what had she planned? What would she say if she were stopped by the police? It did not bear thinking about. But right now my worries were closer to home. The sight of light in our bedroom made me grip the steering wheel tight. What was Emma doing up at this hour of the morning? Was Jamie OK?

I quickly flung off my wellingtons and protective trousers before changing into my shoes. There was nothing I could do about the mud lining the sides of the car, but at least I looked reasonably clean. I opened the front door, only to be met by Emma, wide-eyed and staring, with Jamie clinging to her side.

‘Daddy!’ he cried, running towards me, and I quickly checked him over before taking him in my arms. He clung to me tightly, burying his face in my shoulder. ‘Hey, it’s OK,’ I said, trying to provide reassurance. ‘Everything’s going to be all right.’

‘Mu . . . Mummy said there was a bad man outside,’ he stuttered, each word piercing my heart.

I glared at Emma, trying to keep my tone low. ‘What the hell’s happened?’ I said, rubbing Jamie’s back as I soothed him. But Emma stared at me vacantly, tears springing to her eyes. ‘Emma!’ I said, trying to snap her out of whatever trance she was in.

She pointed to the door. ‘It was Luke. He was outside.’ She turned, leading me out to the kitchen. Every light in the house was switched on. ‘Here,’ she pointed at the kitchen window. ‘I saw his face in the window.’

Her eyes were wild, her hair windswept. I glared at her mud-caked feet in disbelief. ‘Have you been outside?’ I said, fear creeping up my back as I thought of where I’d been just minutes before.

‘We need to call the police,’ she said, staring over my shoulder through the window. ‘I heard noises. He’s out there. It’s only a matter of time before he comes back.’ She grabbed my arms, making Jamie tighten his grip. But the more I tried to reassure our son, the louder Emma became.

‘Can’t you see?’ she said, grabbing my forearm. ‘He’s been doing all these things and blaming me!’

‘Pull yourself together, you’re frightening Jamie,’ I said, yanking my arm from her grip. I had just had the most horrific night of my life, and now it seemed never-ending. How could I tell her that the noise that she heard was most likely the digger Theresa had hired? Holding on to my son, I checked the doors and windows were secure. ‘Has anyone been in the house?’ I said, trying to establish what had happened in my absence. I was rewarded with a quick shake of the head. I carried Jamie back to bed and wrapped him up in his blanket. Dawn had seeped through the sky as soft shafts of golden light touched his bedspread. ‘Where were you, Daddy?’ Jamie said, his words punctuated with a yawn.

‘At work. But I’m back now. What happened? Did Mummy have a nightmare?’ I said. It was the only thing I could think of, to chase his worries away.

Jamie shrugged, drawing his teddy to his chest as the memory filtered in. ‘Mummy woke me up ’cos she was shouting. But when I looked for her, there was nobody here.’ His bottom lip trembled. ‘I was scared.’

‘We’re here now,’ I said, fingering his soft blond hair from his forehead.

‘Mummy said there was a bad man outside. She was trying to chase him away. I don’t want the bad man to get me.’

I inhaled deeply, trying to push my rising anger down. The only bad man was the one in Emma’s head. I couldn’t afford to leave Jamie alone with her any more. ‘You get some sleep,’ I said. ‘Mummy was just dreaming. Daddy’s going to look after you. I’m never leaving you alone again.’

Jamie raised his little finger for the most solemn of vows. ‘Pinky promise?’ he said, and my heart melted as I joined my little finger in his. ‘Pinky promise.’ I kissed him on the forehead before I rose, and left his bedroom door slightly ajar. I had made a vow to my son, and I would not let him down. I had seen the evidence with my own eyes. Held the skull of the man Emma had murdered. As soon as she left the house, I was going to Leeds and taking Jamie with me.





CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE

ALEX





2017


I found Emma in the bathroom, furiously scrubbing at the soles of her feet. Puffs of steam clouded around her, and she seemed oblivious of my presence. How long had she been awake? Had she slept at all? Anger and pity fought for dominance as my emotions twisted inside me.